She wanted to work hard and benefit more people, even if they were just two-dimensional characters in a novel world—she still found joy in it.
Lately, she felt like she’d been stuck doing after-sales service. Aside from the first customer, the Brocade Guard commander who bought two ibuprofen from her, everyone else needed follow-ups.
Could it be that the commander had already kicked the bucket?
She thought it over and decided to go see the Empress Dowager instead. After all, she had once promised Karl to help solve the genetic issues in the Seti star system. This time, she opted for a query-style follow-up.
The Empress Dowager was receiving ministers in the imperial study when she suddenly sensed Shen Yunyun’s follow-up request. She immediately ordered the ministers to withdraw.
The ministers had no idea what was happening, but since the Empress Dowager commanded them to leave, they dared not defy her. They knelt and exited the study one by one. The Empress Dowager also dismissed the maids and eunuchs attending her there, then agreed to Shen Yunyun’s follow-up request.
Shen Yunyun appeared before the Empress Dowager, who shed her earlier fatigue and immediately moved to bow to her.
“May I ask what guidance the immortal has to offer?”
“Guidance? Hardly. I actually have something to discuss with you,” Shen Yunyun said with a smile. But as she looked at the Empress Dowager’s well-maintained face, she froze for a moment.
The Empress Dowager looked as if she had aged ten years overnight.
She quickly asked, “Has something happened recently? Why do you look so haggard? Was the drought issue from a few days ago not resolved? Or is there a problem with the sweet potatoes and pumpkins?”
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager was stunned.
“It’s been ten years since the immortal last visited,” the Empress Dowager said.
Shen Yunyun’s eyes widened. She had only been away for about half a month—how had ten years passed? Then it hit her: the last time she came, she had adjusted the time ratio. Had she forgotten to change it back?
“Wait here, I’ll be right back,” Shen Yunyun said, returning to the trading center. Sure enough, she had forgotten to reset the time. She quickly adjusted it and then reappeared before the Empress Dowager.
A bit embarrassed, she cleared her throat. “I’ve been busy lately, so I didn’t get around to it.”
The Empress Dowager, thinking of the saying “a day in heaven is a year on earth,” didn’t take it too seriously. “Does the immortal have business with me?”
Shen Yunyun nodded. “I’ve heard that when people can’t afford to raise a girl, they either abandon her right after birth or drown her. Some raise them for a few years and then sell them into servitude, or even into brothels.”
The Empress Dowager’s expression stiffened. “I truly have my hands full. I can only set up orphanages in the capital, Youzhou Prefecture, and Jizhou Prefecture to take in some orphans. Other places are beyond my reach—the court simply can’t bear the burden. Even with sweet potatoes and pumpkins keeping the people from starving, we still have to pay tribute to the powerful Southern Chu and Northern Yan every year.”
“And what about the girls once they’re grown? Do you have any plans for them?”
“Most go into embroidery workshops as seamstresses. Those with talent learn medicine from a young age and become female doctors. Some clever ones are chosen to serve as palace maids, and when they come of age, they’re released to marry. A few are matched with soldiers as wives.”
Shen Yunyun saw that the Empress Dowager had arranged things quite thoroughly and couldn’t really find fault. She recalled that in ancient times, many lower-class men couldn’t afford wives. The drowning of newborn girls was a major cause of the gender imbalance. Another reason was that a large share of female resources was hoarded by the nobility.
It was a case of uneven distribution—some had too little, others too much.